Terra Battle 2 Beginner's Guide to Battle

Mistwalker's follow-up to the lauded mobile title Terra Battle, Terra Battle 2, is here, improving on many facets of the previous game and offering more tactical fantasy combat.

Although it seems weird that the developer went from epic multi-disc RPGs like Lost Odyssey to mobile games, I guess that's just the way the industry went, and if you've got an Android or iOS device, you're in for a treat.

But to get started in the game, you'll need to know what's new in Terra Battle 2, from movement to mechanics and more. Let's dive in.

Terra Battle 2 Movement

This time around, Terra Battle includes an overland map to traverse on your own in all-new storyline chapters. While this is a welcome addition, you may be wondering why you can't get past a certain level even though you've done everything there. The story levels are currently capped, with a new one set to be released each week, so check back every few days for new content!

Now that you're on a map, keep in mind you have a five-second second limit to movement once you tap your group. While heading across the map, you should maneuver to the shiny dots for the treasure, and of course, into enemy configurations to initiate battles.

Keep in mind that you can turn the magnet feature off, and then only one character at a time moves around the map instead of dragging your full party. Why do this? Because battles start based on how the characters are arranged on the level map, so you can start in an advantageous position for quick attacks right away.

This can completely change how a battle goes, so plan ahead instead of rushing straight into combat. If you surround your enemies, you are in a much better position to get in the required (and advantageous) pincer attacks (see below).

Terra Battle 2 Combat Strategy

Before battle begins, hit the blue sword to start the attack, the middle red icon to use a skill like placing bombs, or the green chest to pull up your items. During the actual battle, you have a six-second movement clock once you tap a character, but you've got all the time you want to strategize before you start moving, so plan ahead.

The grid combat works by moving enemies and allies around in a different way than you might expect. Bumping your unit into enemy or ally tiles in combat shifts them to the direction you are moving. Use this forced movement to your advantage to flank an enemy on any adjacent tiles, initiating an attack (called a "pincer").

All of the enemies between a pincer position get hit, and that's where the strategy lies.

Lining up an attack on an enemy tile

Your goal here is to attack as many enemies as you possibly can at once, maneuvering them all into a line and then placing your troops on either side in any direction. That's why you need to think ahead -- to make sure you can actually get enemies into a line within the six-second cap.

While placing pincers, pay attention to which characters, like Sarah, have mega range abilities. When Sarah is involved in a pincer, she will attack all enemies in a grid around her, and not just the enemies directly between her and the other ally in the pincer.

If you've strategically moved the enemies first, you can potentially hit all enemies at once this way. Different characters have mega range in differing square patterns -- check the menu for each one to see how they should be placed for maximum effectiveness.

Terra Battle 2 Combat Tips

Obviously, you can't make a flanking pincer with only one unit, so if you get whittled down to only one character left during the fight, you lose the battle.

Some enemies (those outlined in purple, like bosses) can't be maneuvered around in this manner, however. For bosses, in particular, pay attention to their movement patterns, as this indicates where they will attack and how many tiles they will hit. They have a very clear repeating pattern, so you can avoid getting hit and maneuver yourself for an attack in the next turn.

Other than that, there are just a couple of things to keep in mind to dominate in any given battle:

Pay attention to individual skills: Khem, for instance, adds Mega Heal to an attack, healing an allied character who is also involved in the attack

Chain attacks as often as possible, as this raises your stats and helps level your equipment

Attacking the same element results in half damage, while attacking the opposite element gives double damage

Maneuver enemies into bombs or other obstacles placed with skills beforehand

Be on the lookout for power ups for your own squad, such as placing your second character in a pincer next to the glowing blue "P" icon to increase attack power

Chaining together skills

That's all the basic tactical knowledge you need to get started with Terra Battle 2! Have any other tips for us? Let us know your best strategy, and stay tuned for further guides covering Terra Battle 2 re-rolling and tier lists for the best character combos.

Ty splits his time between writing horror fiction&comma; covering underground black metal bands&comma; and bringing you the latest gaming news&period; As much as digs the latest shooters&comma; he thinks gaming peaked with Planescape&colon; Torment&period;